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Pentecost Revisited (Part One): Counting Consistently
Article by John W. RitenbaughThe count to Pentecost should not be any different in those years when Passover falls on the weekly Sabbath — the same instructions apply.
Was Joshua Required to Offer the Wavesheaf?
Sermonette by David C. GrabbeThe phrase, 'when you come into the land' (regarding offering the Wavesheaf), sounds like an absolute command, but its usage shows there may be qualifiers.
How to Count to Pentecost in 2025
Sermon by David C. GrabbeThere has been a subtle doctrinal shift in how the Church of God counts to Pentecost, like the cultural rebranding which switched the political colors of the two major political parties during the 2000 U.S. election. Leviticus 23 commands God's people to count to Pentecost "from the morrow after the Sabbath" culminating on the day after the after the seventh Sabbath. Historically, God's Church followed the Sadducean practice anchoring the count to the weekly Sabbath during Unleavened Bread, with the Days of Unleavened Bread, even if the offering occurred on a holy day or a high Sabbath. In 1974, the church surreptitiously aligned itself with the Karaite practice of always putting Wavesheaf day within Unleavened Bread. Proponents tried to link Christ's resurrection with Unleavened Bread, at the cost of overriding clear, well-established, biblical commands. Unlike the change of observing Pentecost from Monday to Sunday, this additional subtle change was never explained publicly. Herbert W. Armstrong never publicly spoke or wrote about this second change. God's called-out saints must return to the original method for 1.) Scriptural integrity-the Sabbath refers to a weekly Sabbath rather than a high day. 2.) Historical and Theological Consistency-The Sadducees, who controlled the Temple at this time, used this method. 3.) Practical Faithfulness-the Wave Sheaf signals a task reserved for a workday rather than a Holy Sabbath. 4.) Guarding against doctrinal drift—just as slight changes in tradition can obscure core truths, such as Sunday worship replacing God's Sabbath, and adding requirements not found in Scripture, risks the danger of making the commands of Almighty God "of no effect." The count to Pentecost in 2025 and every year thereafter, must begin on the Sunday after the weekly Sabbath during Unleavened Bread.
Wavesheaf Requirements and Joshua 5
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughPassover, though a festival, is not a Sabbath, so that eliminates it as a possibility as the anchor from which Pentecost is found each and every year. It is not a Sabbath.
Did Israel Offer the Wavesheaf in Joshua 5?
Article by David C. GrabbeFor decades, the church of God has struggled with counting Pentecost, especially in years when Passover falls on a Sabbath. Does Joshua 5 hold the key or not?
The Wavesheaf Offering
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughMost know little about the wavesheaf offering, even though it represents one of the most significant acts: the resurrection and ascension of Christ!
The Wavesheaf and the Selfsame Day
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe wavesheaf offering is reckoned from the weekly Sabbath within the Days of Unleavened Bread. It had specific requirements that were not met in Joshua 5.
The Very Same Day
Sermon by David C. GrabbeThe 'very same' or 'selfsame' day is a memorial of a past event, typically on the same date, including several of God's appointed times and pronouncements.
Holy Days: Pentecost
Bible Study by Earl L. HennThe late spring Feast of Pentecost shows the harvest of firstfruits, God's church. It is a continual reminder of our part in God's plan!
Pentecost, Consistency, and Honesty
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughBecause Pentecost does not have a specific date, God commands us to count from the day after the weekly Sabbath falling within the Days of Unleavened Bread.
Pentecost Revisited (Part Two): Joshua 5
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughJoshua 5 makes no mention of a harvest, an altar, a priest, the waving of the sheaf, or the offerings God commanded to accompany the waving of the sheaf.
Countdown to Pentecost 2001
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughHow does one count to Pentecost when Passover is on a weekly Sabbath, making the Last Day of Unleavened Bread the only other available Sabbath to begin the count?
God's Spiritual Harvest
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsLike Christ, we too are firstfruits, represented by the leavened loaves picturing our acceptance by the Father.
Boaz and Pentecost
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe name of Boaz (a type of Christ) appears many times more than Ruth (a type of the church), indicating Christ's intense work on behalf of the church.
Consequences of Resurrection and Ascension
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughNeither Christmas or Easter appear in the Feasts of the Lord, but we find plenty of emphasis on the resurrection and ascension of Christ in the Holy Days.
Christ's Death, Resurrection, and Ascension
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughJesus perfectly fulfilled the Old Testament types, slain as the Passover Lamb, resurrected with the cutting of the wavesheaf, and ascended to His Father at the time of the waving of the sheaf.
'After Three Days'
Booklet by Richard T. RitenbaughA scriptural explanation of the time of Christ's death, burial and resurrection, showing that He died on a Wednesday and rose from the dead on the Sabbath.
Spiritual Maturity
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe Kingdom parables allude to the process of spiritual maturity, depicting a planted and cultivated seed becoming a sprout, eventually bearing fruit.